


The Sweetness of Spring

by 1010nabulation



Category: Sarai-ya Goyou | House of Five Leaves
Genre: Chocolate Box Treat, First Kiss, Hand Feeding, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-14
Updated: 2017-02-14
Packaged: 2018-09-22 08:07:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9595031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/1010nabulation/pseuds/1010nabulation
Summary: The winter is long, but something has been growing between Masa and Yaichi.  One night, it bears fruit.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Laylah](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Laylah/gifts).



> Thank you for watching House of Five Leaves with me, friend. :3 Here's a treat I hope you will enjoy!

The winter has been long, and cold, and quiet. Not lonely, though. Not this winter. Masa has friends now, a place to belong... a family. Despite the cold, he has felt so warm, most of his time spent inside the cozy heat of Ume's shop drinking with Otake and Mitsukichi, Okinu cheerfully feeding them despite Ume's usual scowls. Even his old lodgings are warm and welcoming now, Otake having made it her permanent home. The cat, when he stops by, is always purring now, fat and happy.

Masa spends his evenings at Katsura-ya, usually in the company of Yaichi. They have grown closer since the night Yaichi's past caught up with him. Yaichi seems more relaxed around him now. Not that he hadn't been relaxed before, but now it seems... different. Less of a facade meant to hide his true feelings, and more like he really is letting his guard down. It's in the artless loosened slope of his shoulders, and the way his lips curl upward just slightly, not quite smiling—like he doesn't have to, around Masa. He touches him more, now, too, casually. A hand on his arm, or a sprawled foot touching his thigh, or sometimes, _sometimes_ , Yaichi's head resting against his shoulder. Like now.

Being with Yaichi makes Masa feel warm—in his heart, for the new closeness between them; in his belly, too, for other reasons entirely, if he is honest with himself. He tries to tell himself that the strange, hot fluttering in his gut must be the sake Yaichi insists on sharing with him. Sometimes he almost believes it. Other times, the feeling is too strong and aching to explain away.

That is the feeling he has tonight. He and Yaichi (mostly Yaichi) have gone through two bottles of sake, and it should be easy to blame that for the dizziness Masa feels at Yaichi's proximity, the way the feel of Yaichi's soft hair against his bare neck sends him shivering, and the way the beat of his heart thuds in his chest. But Masa knows better. He wants to hold on to Yaichi, this moment seeming so fragile that a sudden stiff winter breeze might blow it away.

“You're getting sleepy,” Yaichi says, tilting his head up just enough to look up at Masa's face. His not-a-smile lifts slightly into a real one. “I asked you a question and you haven't said a word.”

Yaichi's eyes are heavy-lidded and his gaze is warm and softly focused as he looks up at Masa, enough that Masa could accuse him of the same if he didn't know better. Drunk and... happy. That's what that look means, on Yaichi. Masa swallows. 

A blush is spreading across his cheeks, and he has to look away. “I apologize, Yaichi-dono,” he says. “Please, ask me your question again.”

“I asked if you'd pass me a satsuma.” Yaichi's voice is quietly resonant with amusement.

“Oh! Of course.” Is that all it was? Embarrassment washes through Masa, his blush deepening. He'd been too lost in his own thoughts to hear even such a simple request.

Masa reaches a long arm out to take a bright orange satsuma off the plate before them. They've eaten about half the small pile of them, leftovers from a gift Yaichi made of a whole bag of satsuma to the girls of Katsura-ya to brighten their winter. His hands shake as he peels it, his long fingers suddenly not half as deft as they should be. Once finished, he holds the perfect round fruit out for Yaichi to take.

When Yaichi fails to reach for it, Masa's curiosity gets the best of him. He looks down at Yaichi and finds him watching him with far more focus than Masa had thought him capable of after so much sake.

Yaichi's eyes meet his, and he licks his lips, then parts them, leaving his mouth just slightly open.

Masa's gaze follows Yaichi's tongue, the soft pink tip of it leaving his lips glistening. Surely, Yaichi can feel the way Masa's heart is thundering in his chest, head still resting against him like it is. This isn't the first time he's offered Yaichi food from his own hand; it should not frighten him so! He bites his own lip, and breaks off a section of satsuma. Hesitantly, Masa lifts it to Yaichi's mouth.

Delicately, Yaichi takes the piece of fruit from his fingers, lips barely brushing them. He hums as he chews, still watching Masa. Then Yaichi swallows, and opens his mouth once more.

Half the satsuma disappears in this manner, Masa slowly feeding Yaichi bit by glorious bit. When the sections begin to dwindle, Yaichi's lips and tongue grow bolder, lingering on Masa's fingers.

Masa's heart is in his throat, choking him as he stares raptly down at Yaichi. He fumbles with the remainder of the satsuma, squeezing too hard as he tries to pry apart the tiny wedges. Some of the juice escapes from them as they are crushed. Masa makes a pained noise, appalled at his own clumsiness.

“It's all right,” Yaichi whispers, reaching out to take hold of Masa's wrist. “Let me.”

He leans forward and plucks the crushed orange pieces from Masa's hand with his teeth. Then his tongue flicks out and he licks at Masa's fingers, chasing each drop of juice sliding down them.

Masa gasps. His whole body is alight with tingling sensation, centered on where Yaichi's tongue is moving over and between his fingers, hot and wet and _good_. Yaichi meets his eyes and Masa can't look away, captivated by the intensity and heat in them. Yaichi smiles, opens his lips, and takes two of Masa's fingers into his mouth. He sucks them, eyes sliding shut, and moans around them.

“Y-Yaichi-dono!” Masa's voice comes out a stunned whisper. He chokes back a moan of his own, his whole body shuddering. This is indecent. It's—it's _amazing_.

“Mmm, so good, Masa,” Yaichi hums after pulling off of Masa's fingers with a soft pop. “But you didn't get a taste. How thoughtless of me.”

He pushes himself up, hands against Masa's chest, to face him fully. Half in his lap, lips mere centimeters from Masa's face, he breathes, “Here, let me show you how sweet it is.”

And then Masa is being kissed. Soft, slow, Yaichi testing and teasing his tongue against Masa's lips until Masa opens to him, tentatively. His heart flutters in his chest like a frightened bird, and he _is_ scared, but Masa doesn't want to stop. Yaichi is warm and surprisingly yielding, very gentle as he kisses the breath out of Masa. He does taste sweet, like satsuma, but beneath that is the sour tang of sake, and something else, something rich and heady that Masa cannot place.

It's intoxicating. More so than sake. Yaichi finally pulls away, and Masa can only gape at him, gasping for breath.

“Good?” Yaichi asks, a warm smile lifting his soft lips.

“Yes,” Masa says, surprised at the eagerness in his own voice. His hands are clenched in the sleeves of Yaichi's kimono. He knows he should let go, but he can't seem to remember how.

Instead, he pulls Yaichi in for another kiss. The warmth he felt before was only a fraction of the burning heat he feels now. And he doesn't want it to end. 

The winter is long, but in his heart it's already melted into the sweetness of spring.


End file.
